Asheville, next

I'm going to avoid making this entire trip about "what Quincy did." But...we recently realized Quincy is losing her hearing, and it was a startling reminder that while spry, Quincy is getting into her golden years.  Quincy has a better life than probably about 100% of dogs in the world, but that doesn't change the fact that, like most spoiled household dogs, most of her days are spent doing not much more than watching out the window for the mailman. So we largely thought of this as "Quincy's" trip.

Day 2, in the AM, we decided to check out downtown Asheville. We started at The Green Muse cafe. If I had a million dollars and I lived in Asheville, I'd eat here every meal. Everything vegan, gluten free AND organic. Digression: I used, like many, to think gluten-free was a fad, until a friend convinced me to try. I challenge you to take gluten out of your diet for a month and see what ailments leave you. I'm not vegan, but I love animals, and if I'm eating them I want to know they were happy while they were in the world. And well...I place my bets on organic produce when possible.

Then we went and saw the Basilica of St Lawrence, which I found an impressive little anomaly in such a small town. I guess those vanderbilts had a lot of cash.

 Anyway, Quincy was not permitted here so we moved on before long. Asheville is totally walkable (even from our cottage which was about a mile and a half up the side of the mountain, though we did that another day). The entire downtown covers about 25 city blocks, give or take, and most of the places are totally geared at loungey shopping. We moved on to..three dog bakery! I had to get a million pictures, but here's just one, with chef Larry.

Ok, maybe another. We got a bunch of dog cookies because that afternoon Quincy was getting a playmate that afternoon in the form of her cousin, puppy Abby. Unfortunately Quincy isn't much for young playmates, really *any* playmates except her sister, so this was more exciting to Abby than it was to her. I for one was so excited at Abby's arrival that I actually made a dog cookie platter. (Those are stella and chewys freeze dried sprinkled on top, not dirt):

Quincy's other cousins Quinn (they have never met!) and Trinity were going to make it but sadly Aunt Pat got stormed in with hurricane lee, so it was just for Abby, and Aunt Marsha and Uncle John. Or at least for Marsha and John's amusement. They got in early afternoon and we all jumped in the car for Mount Mitchell (I could segway here and talk about almost killing a jogger on the Blue Ridge Parkway but I'm just going to note it as a memory I'd rather not relive).

Mount Mitchell is in Pisgah National Forest about 45 minutes north of Asheville on the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. It lives in a veil of secrecy. Its the highest peak east of the Mississipi, but no one I talked to...ok, none of my family members knew this.  But its almost 7000 feet! Its no fourteener, but its half a fourteener, and that deserves bragging rights on the east coast. Oh, and the parkway was cool too.

Here's Aunt Marsha and Abby at mount Mitchell! It was pretty, and colder up there. Lots of pines dying due to acid rain :(. But we all had fun anyway, and Quincy totally enjoyed the drive back.

This very spot is pretty close to the location where they always take the photo of Asheville nestled in the trees, so of course I took a photo of Quincy.

Chris and Larry made lasagna that night and we got to have a really nice extended family dinner, which, living in Austin I never get to have, so that was awesome. Quincy and Abby got tons of treats, and then Quincy crashed for the day. Marsha and John packed up for an early morning departure and the rest of us prepared for our, ahem, next trip.